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Defining Production Logging

Industry Article

The Defining Series:

Production Logging
Principles
Published: 09/09/2015
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Parijat Mukerji, Production Logging Advisor

Publication

Oilfield Review

Article Topics

Production Systems

Well Testing

Reservoir Interpretation & Analysis

The term production logging covers a wide array of

sensors, measurements and interpretation techniques.
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 Operators use production logs to evaluate fluid
movement in and out of wellbores, quantify flow rates
and determine fluid properties at downhole conditions.
Completion engineers can evaluate production and
perforation efficiency and plan remediation or modify
future completion designs based on the interpretation
of production logs. Reservoir and production
engineers can use these logs to help manage and
optimize well and reservoir performance.

Production logging traces its origin to the 1930s and

the measurement of wellbore temperature. Over the
decades, other measurements—including pressure,
fluid density, flow velocity and holdup (volume fraction
of pipe occupied by fluid)—have been added to the
service. Although measurements of pressure,
temperature and flow rate can be obtained at the
surface, surface measurements do not necessarily
reflect what is happening in the reservoir.
Comprehensive production log evaluation requires that
measurements be acquired downhole.

Production Logging Measurements

Production logging consists of several measurements,

many of which are used in a complementary capacity
to determine fluid and flow properties (Figure 1). Fluid
velocity is commonly measured with a spinner
flowmeter—a rotating blade that turns when fluid
moves past it. In ideal conditions, the rotational speed
of the blade in revolutions per second (RPS) is
proportional to the fluid velocity. Friction in the spinner
bearings and effects from fluid viscosity result in
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 nonlinear velocity responses, requiring calibration of
the measurement. This calibration is accomplished by
making upward and downward passes at varying
logging speeds. Before absolute fluid velocity is
computed, spinner speed is corrected for relative tool
speed. Because of friction near the pipe wall, absolute
fluid velocity is not the same as the average velocity of
fluid moving through the pipe. After applying correction
factors, engineers convert the spinner velocity to an
average velocity using computer modeling techniques,
which present the fluid velocity profile across the pipe
diameter.

Figure 1. Production logging toolstring. This production logging

toolstring consists of a fullbore spinner, fluid holdup and bubble
count probes, a pipe diameter caliper and centralizer, a relative
bearing sensor, pressure gauges, a temperature sensor, a
gamma ray tool and a casing collar locator. When engineers
run the tool in memory mode, batteries and a data recorder are
used. Surface readout tools use a telemetry and power section.

Pressure is a versatile measurement with several

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 applications for reservoir and production engineers.
Strain, sapphire and quartz gauges are the main
devices used to measure pressure. Engineers may also
measure pressure using a manometer—a device that
converts mechanical displacement to pressure. From
wellbore pressure data, engineers can determine well
stability at the time of logging, estimate reservoir
pressure from multirate logging surveys, calculate fluid
density and obtain key reservoir parameters by
performing transient rate analyses.

Temperature is an integral measurement for all

production logging. Engineers use temperature data to
make qualitative conclusions about fluid entries,
particularly in low-flow rate scenarios in which a
spinner may not be sensitive enough to detect
movement. Gas entries create cooling anomalies that
are easily detected using temperature logs.
Temperature measurements are also used in fracture
treatment evaluation and to evaluate injection well
performance. Using temperature data, engineers may
be able to evaluate the integrity of well completions,
detect casing leaks and identify flow through channels
behind pipe. Resistance temperature detectors, the
most common type of sensor, usually consist of a
platinum wire or film deposited on a nonconductive
surface. Changes in temperature cause variations in
resistance, which is calibrated and converted to
temperature.

Fluid density measurements differentiate oil, gas and

water. Service companies have developed tools based
on a variety of physical principles to obtain fluid density
measurements:
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 ● differential pressure across two ports separated by
a known distance

● Compton scattering of gamma rays

● pressure gradient relation to density

● flow vibration relation to density and viscosity.

In the case of two-phase flow, engineers can use fluid

density—in conjunction with other measurements such
as fluid viscosity—to compute holdup. Where
multiphase flow is present, they must employ tools with
probes distributed across a wellbore to directly
measure the fluid holdup. One type of tool senses
differences in optical reflectance to obtain holdup,
which involves measuring the amount of light reflected
back from a fluid. Another type of tool differentiates
water from oil and gas using probes that measure
electrical properties of the fluids.

Auxiliary measurements commonly acquired by

production logging strings are casing collar logs,
gamma ray logs, caliper and deviation. Casing collar
and gamma ray logs provide depth control and
correlation with completion components. Caliper and
deviation data are used in production modeling
programs.

Production logs can be difficult to interpret because

fluid flow may not be uniform, and multiple passes
result in large amounts of data, some of which may
produce conflicting answers. Computer programs
have been developed to assist engineers in
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 understanding downhole conditions; computer-
generated interpretations remove some of the
ambiguities associated with the interpretation process
(below). The interpretation product can often help the
engineer identify more-productive intervals, detect
water entry and determine intervals that do not
contribute to production.

Figure 2. Production log. This log shows data typically provided

by downhole sensors in a production logging survey. Two
intervals have open perforations (Track 1, red). Engineers make
multiple passes at different logging speeds (Track 2); negative
cable speeds represent down passes and positive logging
speeds are up passes. Color-coding based on logging speed
helps differentiate datasets. Gamma ray data (Track 3) provide
correlation with openhole logs. From spinner data (Track 4),
engineers identify changes in fluid velocity associated with
inflow from production, outflow from thief zones or outflow from
injection. The fluid density data (Track 5) indicate water (1.0
g/cm3) below the perforations (the sump), which then
transitions to mainly oil (0.75 g/cm3). Temperature data (Track
6) indicate heating or cooling effects caused by inflow of fluids.
Steady well pressure (Track 7) is a characteristic of stable flow
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 during acquisition. Holdup data (Track 8) indicate water and oil
fraction within the wellbore. The software computes
incremental and cumulative flow rates (Tracks 9 and 10). The
two intervals are producing oil; the lower interval is also
producing a trace amount of water (Track 9).

Flow Regimes

To analyze production logging data, production

engineers must be aware of downhole flow regimes.
Knowledge of expected flow regimes allows opera-
tors to choose measurements suitable for the
downhole conditions.

Single-phase flow—when only oil, gas or water is

produced—is the simplest flow to evaluate; however, it
is uncommon in most wells. Two- and three-phase flow
—mixtures of two or three fluid types—can exhibit a
wide variety of flow regimes and are complicated by
deviated wellbores (right). In such cases, gravity
ensures that the lighter phase travels at a higher
velocity than the denser phases. The velocity
difference between the different fluids is the slip
velocity.
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 Figure 3. Fluid flow. Theoretical work and flow loop
experiments have helped engineers understand multiphase
flow in vertical, deviated and horizontal wellbores. The
parameters of interest include pipe diameter and inclination
and fluid density, viscosity and flow rate. Each case shows the
variation in water and oil holdup based on well deviation.

As fluids migrate uphole, the flow regime usually

changes. For instance, oil with dissolved gas can enter
the wellbore as a single phase. The hydrostatic
pressure decreases as the oil rises, and gas bubbles
begin to form in the oil. The flow regime is then bubble
flow. Pressure is further reduced as the mixture moves
uphole; more bubbles form and smaller bubbles
aggregate to create larger bubbles. Large bubbles, or
gas slugs, travel faster than both small bubbles and
liquids. Gas slugs may initiate slug flow. Slugs tend to
unite and move to the center of the pipe, forcing most
of the oil to flow along the pipe walls. This flow regime
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 is called froth flow. Eventually, a mist flow regime may be
reached, in which the gas is carrying droplets of oil,
and both fluids are traveling at essentially the same
velocity. This simplified example becomes complex in
deviated wellbores or when fluids of various phases
enter the wellbore from multiple zones. Modeling
programs attempt to resolve these complexities using
production log data.

Reservoir Surveillance and

Management

Production logs help engineers diagnose problems

that occur during the life of a single well and are also
used for management and surveillance of multiple
wells or of the entire reservoir. A common challenge
faced by operators in mature fields is identifying zones
that produce excessive amounts of water. Produced
water impacts surface handling operations because
water must be separated from the flow stream for
disposal. Produced water may also affect well
performance by limiting the volume of hydrocarbons
being produced. After identifying water-producing
zones, production engineers may perform remediation
to reduce or eliminate water production.

Operators may also use production logs to calibrate

reservoir simulation models. During full-field reservoir
model history-matching, engineers can use production
log data to help identify or match zonal contributions,
finetune parameters and align the model with the
empirical performance data.
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 Lifetime Logging

Production logs provide reservoir and production

engineers with a diagnostic aid for understanding the
downhole wellbore environment. These in situ
measurements acquired under dynamic conditions are
a snapshot of the existing situation. But that snapshot
captures the situation only for that moment in time.
Whether by fluid extraction or injection, oil and gas
production changes reservoir conditions. Production
logs help operators understand well and reservoir
dynamics over the life of a well and create a roadmap
for future remediation, production enhancements and
reservoir development programs.
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